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Postgraduate Diploma in Architectural Practice

On 6 June 2022, the Board decided that the above qualification should be prescribed for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2024* under Section 4(1)(a) of the Architects Act 1997 for the purposes of entry onto the United Kingdom Register of Architects.

Prescription is subject to the Standard Conditions set out in the Board’s Procedures, namely:

  1. Nottingham Trent University’s Master of Architecture in Architecture in Practice (three years, part-time apprenticeship) and Postgraduate Diploma in Architectural Practice (one year, part-time apprenticeship) qualifications should be prescribed for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2024.*
  2. Prescription of the qualifications shall be by reference to the Programme Specifications – submitted as part of the application on 5 February 2021 – for the Master of Architecture in Architecture in Practice (three years, part-time apprenticeship) and Postgraduate Diploma in Architectural Practice (one year, part-time apprenticeship) qualifications. No change may be made to the title of any qualification, or material change to the content so defined within a programme specification (allowing for normal course development) without first obtaining the written permission of the Board.
  3. Annually by 31 March – commencing on 31 March 2023 – the institution shall be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 of its Procedures to enable the Board to see that:
    i. All its Criteria and the relevant requirements set out in Article 46 (or Article 47) of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive [2005/36/EC] have been attained by all students/candidates awarded the prescribed qualifications;
    ii. Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by students/candidates for the period of prescription;
    iii. The institution’s resources remain as set out in the application and are adequate; and
    iv. All of the factors referred to in Sections 2.2 and 2.3 of the Procedures continue to be demonstrated, and any conditions of prescription continue to be met.
  4. The institution will ensure that appropriate procedures will be maintained so that all students/candidates undertaking a prescribed qualification are fully informed of the extent of the application of that qualification to entitlement to registration as an architect in circumstances in which the student/candidate lacks a required antecedent qualification, e.g. Part 2 without Part 1.
  5. Following each and every set of examinations, the institution shall be required to submit to the Board its pass lists of graduating cohorts who have received the prescribed awards.

In addition to the Standard Conditions of prescription, the Board agreed that the following additional condition would be applicable under Section 7.2 of the Board’s Procedures:

  • The institution must submit to ARB copies of the external examiner reports immediately following the final assessment and Examination Board for each cohort during the period of prescription.

 

The Board was confident that:

  1. The course proposal – including the educational aims, the intended learning outcomes, the assessments etc – has been designed with the clear aim of ensuring that all those who receive the qualifications will have met all the Criteria;
  2. Systems are in place to ensure that all Criteria will be met by all students/candidates receiving the qualifications for the period of prescription; and
  3. The institution has adequate resources to maintain and, where appropriate, increase the achievements of students/candidates meeting all the Criteria.

A shorter period of prescription was agreed to align the programme with the institution’s other prescribed qualifications.

The additional condition is in keeping with Board practice when prescribing new qualifications, and will provide the Board assurance that the quality of the programmes is being maintained.

 

* At its meeting of 27 February 2023, the Board agreed to extend prescription until 31 December 2028.